LAWYERS’ RULE AMENDMENT: UBANI DROPS SUIT AGAINST MALAMI – PUNCH PG.10

A former Vice-President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr Monday Ubani, says he is withdrawing the suit he filed to challenge the Attorney General of the Federation, Mr Abubakar Malami (SAN), on the unilateral amendments he made to the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners 2017.

Ubani in a statement said he was withdrawing the suit after learning about the possibility that it might be used as an excuse to scuttle the ongoing efforts to resolve the matter amicably.

GROUP, LAWYER DISAGREE ON ONLINE PETITION AGAINST MALAMI – PUNCH PG.24

The Chairman, Radical Agenda Movement in the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr Adesina Ogunlana, says an online petition demanding that the Attorney General of the Federation, Mr Abubakar Malami, be stripped of his Senior Advocate of Nigeria title is valid. But a Lagos-based lawyer, Mr Olukoya Ogungbeje, described the petition as dead on arrival, saying the Legal Practitioners’ Disciplinary Committee would not regard it as a valid petition, since it was not physically submitted.

I’M NOT UNDER US SURVEILLANCE – ATIKU – DAILY TRUST PG.4, NATION PG, PUNCH PG.12, THISDAY PG.5, SUN PG. 9

Former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, has said he and his family have not breached any law and, therefore, not under surveillance by the United States (US). There are reports that the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), an agency of the US Department of Treasury, has placed Atiku and his family members under close watch.

$6M SCAM: SUSPECT ON FBI WANTED LIST SURRENDERS TO EFCC – DAILY TRUST PG.27, NATION PG.2, PUNCH PG.24, THISDAY PG.11, SUN PG.5

A fraud suspect on the wanted list of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Felix Okpoh, has surrendered to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in Lagos. Okpoh, alongside Richard Uzuh, Alex Ogunshakin, Abiola Kayode, and Nnamdi Benson, had been declared wanted by the FBI sometime in 2019 for their alleged involvement in a Business Email Compromise scheme that defrauded over 70 businesses in the United States, of over $6 million.

SUPREME COURT URGED TO REJECT SHELL’S REQUEST TO VACATE N17B VERDICT – NATION PG.3

A lawyer, Lucius Nwosu (SAN), has asked the Supreme Court to reject the request by Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited to set aside a N17 billion judgment given against the oil company last year. The apex court had, in a ruling on January 11, 2019, upheld an earlier decision of the Court of Appeal over a June 14, 2010 judgment of the Federal High Court, which awarded damages against the oil company in an oil spill at Ejama-Ebubu in Tai Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State. 

N/ASSEMBLY TASKED ON CRIME PROCEEDS’ RECOVERY AGENCY BILL – DAILY TRUST PG.6

The Anti-Corruption and Research Based data initiative has urged the National Assembly to pass the Proceed of crimes recovery and management agency Bill recently approved by the federal Executive Council. Its Director of publicity, Yiniyes Jibrailu, said there were complaints of citizens being intimidated into surrendering property perceived to be proceeds of crime and that most of these property afterwards end up in the private possession of staff of some of anti-corruption agencies without traces of such recoveries in government records.

GANDUJE IN VILLA, BRIEFS BUHARI ON KANO BLASPHEMY SAGA – PUNCH PG.10, NATION PG.5, THISDAY PG.11

The Kano State Governor, Abdulahi Ganduje, on Tuesday briefed the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on the case of a 22-year-old man sentenced to death by hanging by the Kano Upper Shari’a Court for blaspheming Prophet Muhammad. The Presiding Judge, Khadi Aliyu Muhammad Kani, had given the judgment after finding Yahaya Sharif-Aminu guilty as charged.

AGENCY TO OFFER INMATES FREE LEGAL SERVICES – PUNCH PG.6

The Director of the Directorate of Citizens Rights in Lagos State, Oluwatoyin Odusanya, has assured inmates in all correctional facilities in the state of free legal representation in court. Odusanya, who stated this during a quarterly visit to the facilities, said the state government was concerned about the numbers of awaiting trial cases in the state.

SUPREME COURT URGED TO REJECT SHELL’S REQUEST TO REOPEN N17BN JUDGMENT – THISDAY PG.46, SUN PG.26

The Supreme Court was yesterday urged to reject request by Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited to review and set aside a N17 billion judgment entered against it last year. The Supreme Court had on January 11, 2019 upheld the judgment of the Court of Appeal, which had slammed a N17 billion damages against the oil giant for oil spillage in Ejama-Ebubu in Tai Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State.

ICPC TO PROSECUTE NECO STAFF OVER FAKE CERTIFICATES – SUN PG.26

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) is set to prosecute some staff of the National Examination Council (NECO) for possessing fake certificates. The ICPC, which disclosed this in a statement by its spokesperson, Mrs. Azuka Ogogua, said the move followed a request by Registrar of NECO, Prof. Godswill Obioma during a recent visit to the Commission.